Susan Patrick Opening Session

• World Future Society - need to check the site
• Forecasts the future of society
• http://www.wfs.org/
• Web is changing Chinese society - for the youth
• Moving to 21st century skills model
• How do we teach these 21sst century skills
• Singapore - all teachers trained to teach online
  • one week per year is eLeaning week
  • training teachers to use Second Life
• Classrooms being redesigned ala Starbuck's
  • Essex, England
  • to spark the interest of the "disinfected" kids
  • is working but a huge learning curve for teachers
• Is changing the model of schooling
• have to work with changing regulations and funding models built on traditional schooling
• 4 keys things leaders need to know about online learning
  • expand opportunities for kids
  • is rapidly growning
  • is effective - equal or better than traditional
  • improves teaching (teachers take what they learn into the regular classroom)
• "Being against online learning is like being against electricity"
• "Being against online learning is like being against driving a car"

Bruce's contribution:
In the top ten list of trends internationally, Alternative Energy is #1 and Online Learning is #8, and is the only education issue mentioned in the top ten.
87% of Chinese youth are using the internet
"world class education", 21st century skills, etc, are a perfect match for the online world
China and the UK have signed a several billion dollar deal for k-12 online learning
Singapore trained all teachers, has online learning in 100% of schools, and shuts down schools for a week each year to hold "e-learning week"
Four Key Ideas for Online Leaders

1. Fundamentally online is expanding options for kids
2. It is growing about 20% a year
3. It is effective - all studies show equal or better
4. It improves teaching

40% of high school students want online courses to be available
42% of parents believe that online classes are a good investment
YouTube - information revolution video